Friday, March 27, 2009

We had some visitors today, not just any visitors, but the first group from 'Cassis' the French themed events group run by Muriel Brock and Francoise Thomas.Muriel and Francoise have created a fabulous tour in Melbourne for the many Francophiles (and there are alot of us; we even refer to the top of Collins st in the CBD as the Paris end town!)who wish to indulge in the French inspired culinary and cultural delights of the city and inner north. Galerie Montmartre was delighted to make the list. It was so lovely to share our collection and our knowledge with this group, the collective sigh when L'Homme de Montmartre unveiled the first poster was enough to make me laugh aloud.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

I'm not exactly sure how productive I'd be if this was the view from my office. I mean really, can you imagine perching your cute little butt on this tufted seat - in one of my favourite shades of grey, I might add - and look out on the Eiffel Tower everyday?! It's too much for me to even contemplate....

But I love my office at Galmont, it's a great space for many reasons; not the least is that it's a little glass cube that looks over our gorgeous retail space and it's right off the hustle and bustle of Brunswick St.

For us, there was no other place in Melbourne to be than Fitzroy -a place with so much history and so much happening and besides, L'Homme De Montmartre grew up here. I can get all nostalgic thinking about all that Fitzroy has given me, so I thought it was time to share the love and produce my personal 25 Reasons to Love Fitzroy, no easy feat, but I'm up for the challenge! The new fortnightly series will start next week and feature other inspiring retail spaces, eateries, community people and places - hope you'll join me in sampling some of Fitzroy's delights.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Once people have fallen deeply in love with a vintage poster and feel that they have a handle on all the information regarding the piece, the very next thing that is usually discussed is framing options. And that's where our friends at Creative Framing come in, not only is Mark (the owner) as passionate about framing as we are about vintage poster art, he sources the very best archival materials so that our lovely posters stay looking lovely without any nasty chemicals spoiling the paper or the image. Creative Framing give a life guarantee on their work because they are so sure about what they do.

So, it was no surprise to see that the folks down at Home Beautiful (April 2009) have asked Mark for his opinion regarding 'making treasured artworks look terrific'. I've scanned the page for your perusal.

Friday, March 20, 2009

And to finish the week with a happy image from Galmont, check this little guy out.

This beautiful piece by Switzerland's premier vintage poster artist Herbert Leupin -advertising Agfa film - arrived yesterday and I feel pretty sure he won't be with us for long before he is snapped up - pardon the pun...it is Friday after all.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

When you have a retail space in an inner city suburb, graffiti becomes a way of life. At least once a fortnight, you can see L'Homme De Montmartre repainting a spot or two on the outside of our building to get it back to its shiny black beauty. No complaints, we love this place! So, I felt so excited approaching Galmont one morning to see that another retailer has taken the problem into their own hands by commissioning a professional to enhance the side of their establishment.

This is the just the beginning! I think it will look awesome when it is completed. So we will spend the next few weeks monitoring its progress and sharing the results.

I especially love the little message (bottom left-hand corner) to tell others that this is a work in progress - I have no doubt that the locals will show it respect.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

As someone who adores vintage poster art, I was thrilled to find this image recently. If you look closely at the poster above you can see it has been framed without one bit of conservation work, it's simply there 'warts and all'. The piece is creased, it has a tear, it is even lifting from the backing. This makes it all the more endearing to me, as it reminds me that vintage posters were only ever made to be destroyed or plastered over by the next advertising campaign. It also confirms my bias (!) that poster art is unique and looks amazing whether it is left as it was found or restored to its former glory.

I am pretty sure that most poster artists of old would find it hilarious that there are so many of us who put their works in places as important as the dining room...let alone frame them!

Friday, March 13, 2009

As I was flipping through the final 'Domino' magazine ever....again - it still hasn't quite registered, I almost think there's an April issue lurking about somewhere (!) - I was reminded how 'darn cute' silhouettes were and thought of a vintage poster we have here in Galmont that I have completely fallen in love with.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

There was so much about my time in the US that I loved, but probably my time attending flea or collectable markets take the cake. It was all about the hunt. What was waiting for me? What strange object would grab my attention and demand I buy it? How could I include my latest find in a way that would live harmoniously with the rest of my things? How was I going to get this stuff home?!!

On arriving back to Australia in 2001, L'homme De Montmartre and I searched high and low for an antique fair that was similar to those we experienced. We walked into Ballarat Antique fair in Western Victoria and that old familiar feeling -the thrill of the hunt - returned.

So, now we show there every year in the hope that some other person will be thrilled to have discovered Galerie Montmartre in all her vintage poster and paper glory - hope to see you there!

Chez La Femme As Seen In The Design Files

Femme de Montmartre Talks Shop to Daily Imprint

Galmont's Community Bookshelf

About Me

A Little Request

Everything that you see on this blog has been found, scanned, photographed, photoshopped, researched and lovingly written by Femme de Montmartre. You are so welcome to the content, just remember to link back to us as the original source. Thanks!